Shadrach Thornton stretches to the end zone for his first career touchdown on Saturday

RALEIGH – When Tom O’Brien announced his decision to start the season with a three-man running back rotation, he expressed a hope the situation would “shake itself out” by the time the Wolfpack opened its ACC schedule this week.

As it turns out, one running back may finally have provided some separation from the others and emerged as the go-to guy in State’s rushing attack.

Only it wasn’t one the three originally battling for the job – sophomores Tony Creecy and Mustafa Green, and senior James Washington It wasn’t even senior Brandon Barnes, who has been lurking at No. 4 on the depth chart throughout his injury-plagued career.

Thornton

It was true freshman Shadrach Thornton, who was buried so deep on State’s depth chart that his name wasn’t included on the flip card handed out to the media in the press box before Saturday’s game against The Citadel.

Shadrach who?

It’s a name that had even the most die-hard fans at Carter-Finley Stadium scratching their heads. Until they saw him run.

Pressed into service because of Greene’s ongoing suspension and injuries to Creecy and Washington, Thornton rushed into the school record book and leaped to the top of the depth chart – almost – by gaining 145 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries to lead his team to a convincing 52-14 win.

“I’m thankful I have a good team (with) strong offensive linemen,” said Thornton, who rushed for 1,738 yards as a high school senior last season. “They made the way for me tonight. …You practice how you play, so regardless if I was going to get in or not, I was going to practice 110 percent.”

To put his performance into perspective, consider that his rushing total was 15 yards more than the Wolfpack’s previous leading rusher, Creecy, had amassed in three games combined. He became the first freshman to rush for more than 100 yards in his first college game since Joe McIntosh in 1981.

“That’s something I like to see,” senior safety Brandon Bishop said. “young guys who make the most of their opportunity. When he got the chance, he took the ball and ran with it.”

Bishop and his teammates had already gotten a glimpse of Thornton’s running ability through his work with the scout team during the first three weeks of the season.

Shadrach Thornton rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns against The Citadel

A three-star prospect out of Liberty County High in Hinesville, Ga., just south of Savannah, 6-foot-1, 200-pound came to State with a reputation for being a strong runner with deceptive speed and an ability to gain yardage after contact.

As much as O’Brien would love to take credit for a brilliant coaching move by playing Thornton on Saturday, he admitted afterward that he didn’t have much choice other than to start the youngster and hope for the best.

“He was the only healthy back we had,” O’Brien said.

That won’t be the case this week for State’s ACC opener against Miami.

Although O’Brien doesn’t give out much information when it comes to injuries, Creecy’s name back at the top of the depth chart released Monday suggests that he’ll be healthy enough to play.

So where does that leave Thornton? Better yet, where does it leave Creecy, Washington and especially the enigmatic Greene? They’re questions that leave you wondering whether Thornton’s impressive debut helped clarify the Wolfpack’s running back situation or simply turned it into an even more unsettled mess?

As coaches are wont to do when it comes to breakout performances, O’Brien did his best to temper the enthusiasm over his unexpected new star Saturday by warning fans and the media not to give him the Heisman Trophy just yet. He pointed out that there are other aspects to playing his position then just taking handoffs and finding the holes.

But Monday, after dissecting Thornton’s performance on tape, even O’Brien admitted that the kid’s performance was pretty impressive. He also said Thornton would get another opportunity to show what he could do Saturday.

“With most kids, you hope that after his first experience he’ll be better this week and more prepared to do things,” O’Brien said. “This (Miami) defense will pressure us more than we saw Saturday, but he’s a tough kid.”

He also showed that he’s a talented kid. Whether he’s ready to handle the challenge of competing against defenses that are bigger, faster and more athletic than the one he terrorized last week will be seen in Miami on Saturday. But he at least deserves the chance.

Because when you have a thoroughbred in your stable, you don’t hitch him up to a plow or slow him down with crowded running back rotations. Just as O’Brien did with Greene in 2010, you saddle him up, let him run and enjoy the ride.

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